Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Electrochemotherapy during or after surgery for aggressive cat soft
By Spugnini, Enrico P et al.·Published in Cancer chemotherapy and pharmacology·2007·SAFU Department, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Intraoperative versus postoperative electrochemotherapy in high grade soft tissue sarcomas: a preliminary study in a spontaneous feline model.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with aggressive fibrosarcoma tumors underwent surgery, with some also receiving a treatment called electrochemotherapy (ECT) to see if it would help prevent the cancer from coming back. Cats that had surgery alone saw their cancer return in about 4 months, while those who had surgery plus ECT had a much longer time before recurrence—around 19 months for those treated after surgery and 12 months for those treated during surgery. Some cats with recurring tumors were treated again and had positive results lasting from 6 to over 28 months. Overall, ECT was well tolerated with minimal side effects, suggesting it could be a helpful addition to surgery for managing these tumors in cats.
People also search for: cat fibrosarcoma treatment · electrochemotherapy for cats · cat cancer recurrence treatment
Abstract
Feline soft tissue sarcomas are spontaneous, rapidly growing, and aggressive neoplasms that mimic their human counterpart. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of electrochemotherapy (ECT) in an adjuvant fashion for the treatment of feline sarcomas, and the possibility of repeated treatments in the case of recurrence. Cats with fibrosarcoma (FSA) were assigned to receive surgery or surgery plus ECT. Feline patients recruited in the ECT study were enrolled in a microscopic arm (39 patients) or a macroscopic arm (19 patients) on the basis of their tumor status (absence or presence of gross disease). Patients received local injection of bleomycin followed by bursts of eight biphasic pulses at a voltage of 1,300 V/cm for postoperative and of 800 V/cm for intraoperative treatments. The median time to recurrence was 4 months for cats treated with surgery alone, 19 months for the postoperative cohort, and 12 months for the intraoperative group. Moreover, ten patients with recurring neoplasms were retreated and experienced responses lasting 6 to 28+ months. Side effects were minimal. Of interest, the metastatic rate (1.7%) in our patients was negligible: only one cat had distant spread. The results suggest that ECT is a well tolerated and potentially useful addition to surgery in controlling high-grade sarcomas. On the basis of these results, additional evaluations are warranted in pets and in humans.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16807731/